More BBC productions outside London

7:17pm Wednesday 15th October 2008

Plans to increase production of BBC network programmes outside London have been announced.

The Weakest Link will be filmed in Scotland and Crimewatch in Wales.

Production of the Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court Flower Show will be based in Birmingham.

The BBC said it was also exploring the possibility of moving Casualty, currently filmed in the South West, to Wales.

Other changes include filming Newsnight Review in Glasgow from 2010. The form of Newsnight Review will be "reviewed" over the next year.

The editing and production of political programme Question Time, which is recorded all over the country, will be based in Scotland from 2010.

The BBC said the amount of money it spends outside London on network programmes would increase to 50% by 2016. Last year, the Corporation spent £300 million outside London.

Its plan includes increasing the 2007 figure of 6% of network spend in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to 17% by 2016.

Scotland will focus on children's, comedy, entertainment, drama and factual. And Wales will concentrate on documentaries, factual, formats and music, and Belfast will focus on drama, current affairs, factual, daytime, comedy and entertainment.

In a speech in London, BBC Vision Director Jana Bennett said: "Our intention is nothing less than changing the very DNA of the BBC to bring the production of programmes closer to the audience we serve. That means permanently increasing the production and commissioning of programmes in other parts of the country."

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